Al Jazeera Said to Be Acquiring Current TV

[Hissyspit]

Source: New York Times

January 2, 2013, 4:42 pm

Al Jazeera Said to Be Acquiring Current TV

By BRIAN STELTER

Al Jazeera is finalizing a deal to take over Current TV, the low-rated cable channel that was founded by Al Gore and his business partners seven years ago.

If the deal is completed, Current will provide the pan-Arab news giant with something it has sought for years: a pathway into American living rooms. Current is available in about 60 million of the 100 million homes in the United States with cable or satellite service.

Rather than simply use Current to distribute its existing English-language channel, called Al Jazeera English and based in Doha, Qatar, Al Jazeera will create a new channel based in New York, according to people with knowledge of the deal negotiations. Potentially called Al Jazeera America, roughly 60 percent of the programming will be produced in the United States while the remaining 40 percent will come from Al Jazeera English.

Al Jazeera may absorb some Current TV staff members, according to the people, who insisted on anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly. But Current’s schedule of shows will most likely be dissolved in the spring.

Read more: http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/01/02/al-jazeera-said-to-be-acquiring-current-tv

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@brianstelter: If deal closes (and I think it will today), Current TV will remain on the air for about 3 months. Then Al Jazeera comes on.

[Enrique]

1. wow

sounds like big news.

I expect we will hear some amusingly ignorant reactions to this from the right wing.

[djean111]

2. Here is some globalization I can appreciate.

[Warpy]

27. I've watched al Jazeera on Link TV

and I've been impressed with their reporting. I think this will be a really good thing for Current. They'll get in there and fix a lot of the glitches Olbermann found intolerable. I just hope they keep Spitzer on for his sound Wall Street reporting.

Bigots, of course, will swear never to watch it, although they cling to the Saudi owned Pox News. Al Jazeera is based in Qatar, one of the most liberal of all the Emirates and I expect their stewardship of Current to be a good one.

Bigots don't watch them, anyway. It's no loss.

[hughee99]

3. I wonder if Keith Olbermann has updated his resume

It sounds like they'll have openings.

[truebrit71]

9. Jeebus Krist on a bike, can you imagine the shit-fit the reich-wing would have if KO was on A-J TV?

...i think O'really's head would literally explode...

[Bette Noir]

33. Then it's a win-win.

[grantcart]

48. Fox has major Saudi investment

[davidwparker]

13. +1

It will be good to hear from him again. I subscribed to his tweets last night.

[LoisB]

15. That was my first thought when I read the headline. Can you hear a KO special comment on

Romney, the fiscal cliff, Hurricane Sandy aid? Better yet, Santorum and the "Blah" people. Boy, do I ever miss him.

[southernyankeebelle]

4. Gee I hope they don't get rid of the morning showes like Bill Press and Stephanie Miller.

They are 2 of my favorite shows.

[broiles]

10. you can listen to them on XM talk left.

Since that's where they started and continue to air.

[NMDemDist2]

12. press yes, but Miller is only 2 of her 3 hours on the air @ XM

but i'm a podcast subscriber of hers. still i hate to see her lose any market

[southernyankeebelle]

39. What is XM? can you get it free on the computer? Around where I live we only have rightwing

talk and I just can't take it.

[Octafish]

47. Satellite radio...

...requires a subscription, plus a special radio (tuner).

http://siriusxm.com/

[julian09]

49. You can get Sirius Xm on line subscription for $3.50 a month.

[southernyankeebelle]

50. Oh I don't have that and I certainly don't want to pay for it either.

[Tarheel_Dem]

61. You can audio stream those shows. I catch Bill & Steph on iheartradio.com, and

I stream KTLK (Progressive Talk) where I catch Bill & Stephanie in the a.m., and I also catch Randi Rhodes in the afternoon. It works well for me at work, because I can close my office door, and not disturb anyone.

[southernyankeebelle]

70. Thanks I will check it out.

[Sedona]

58. Listen to Press and Miller on line for free

http://www.iheart.com/live/197/

[themaguffin]

74. No XM dumped Press in favor of a generic show (instead of a true liberal political program).

[Liberalynn]

29. It doesn't sound like they are going to be keeping any of the existing programs.

I have gotten so used to listening to Steph and Bill in the morning. I am going to miss Jennifer Granholm too. I am really upset by this.

[southernyankeebelle]

36. me too. I was so glad they came back today. I sure hope them keep them.

[GoCubsGo]

38. Steph and Bill will keep their radio shows.

There are several radio stations on which you can web stream them, such as WCPT, KTLA, and KPHX. Hopefully, Stephanie will go back to Ustream, as well. It was not a whole lot different than what you see on Current.

[Liberalynn]

46. Thanks. I will check out the webstreams and look out for her on UStream too.

They dropped the Progressive station in my area, so I can't get her show via the radio any more.

[ReformedGOPer]

56. Me too.

I have Steph's show on every day for the whole three hours while I'm doing things around the house. This is upsetting.

[DefenseLawyer]

5. At least they know how to build a set

that doesn't look like public access cable.

[Hissyspit]

6. @jeremyscahill: I predict al Jazeera will totally clean house at Current of almost all--if not all--

@jeremyscahill: I predict al Jazeera will totally clean house at Current of almost all--if not all--of Current's programs and hosts

[NMDemDist2]

7. well that's in keeping with Stephanie Miller's track record on TV

and it would totally suck.

[davidwparker]

16. They waited too long to pick her up.

They never did anything with Randi.

I have been watching Current for Step, Cenk, Press, Jennifer as opposed to MSNBC.

[truebrit71]

8. See how quickly every single cable provider in the US drops the former 'Current TV'..

...

[bunnies]

11. yep.

The screeching from the knuckle-dragging crowd will ensure it. Sad.

[Berlin Expat]

22. That sound you hear.....

that's Pamela Gellar and Robert Spencer's heads exploding in unison.

IT'S TEH CREEPING SHARIA!!1!

[bunnies]

24. duh muslins is steelin ur teevee!

ur wimmins is next!

[southernyankeebelle]

37. Actually I've had a time or two to see their programming and I have to say they are pretty good.

I hope they keep the station. I will watch it. They kind of remind me of the old CNN before they decided to become Fox light.

[starroute]

14. Al Jazeera is good -- except when the government of Qatar leans on them

I wonder if setting up camp in the US would give them more editorial independence or if they'd still be subject to Qatari interference.

It's much like the situation with RT, which is good in many areas but has to tiptoe around anything that involves Russian domestic or foreign policy.

[JackHughes]

17. Cenk?

I gotta have my weekday Cenk/Young Turks fix.

[RebelOne]

20. And I would hate to lose Joy Behar.

I love her show Say Anything. Also the War Room with Jennifer Granholm.

[mimi85]

42. Jennifer is

great. I was hoping that CNBC would give her a spot. I watched Current maybe 2-3 times, in fact I'd be hard pressed to tell you what channel it's on here in SoCal.

Cenk really rubs me the wrong way. His ego is way out of control. What a hissy fit he threw when CNBC dumped him! That was one hour I always skipped. Although if I remember correctly they offered him a weekend deal ala Chris Hayes and Cenk got all huffy about it. Also, Current never went HD, it looked like crap. And Olberman started getting on my last nerve when he was on MSNBC. Some of these shows are in trouble when the host think they're the story. Did KO really think he was going to save Current?

Oh, and Cenk had that ridiculous contest to vote for him to have a billboard in Times Square, how embarrassing, Never knew who won that silly thing and don't really care.

I also like Spitzer, I think he was the one bright spot on CNN and was sad to see him go.

[xxqqqzme]

73. It was TWC channel 142

Watched Bill Press, Stephanie Miller & Spitzer. Guess it is back to KTLK in the morning.

Channel 142 has been removed from the guide. 141 then 143. 142 was still on the guide @ 6 just not available.

[Cleita]

18. Al Jazeera has the deep pockets that Current TV didn't so at least they have

the capital to keep news agencies all over the world like CNN used to under Ted Turner. How apolitical and unbiased they will be, being they are funded by the Qatar government and are probably under the dictates of the royal family is another question. Well, there's still Free Speech TV and Link TV. Maybe they will pick up some of the Current TV hosts between them. I guess I'm going to have to kiss Stephanie Miller good-by though because fart jokes may not be to their liking.

[GoCubsGo]

41. You can still web stream her radio show, if you don't have a local carrier.

Go to her web page to check for the affiliates. Most have a web stream. If you have a smart phone, there are apps which will allow you to hear it on that, if you aren't near a computer. Just because she will no longer be on Current doesn't mean that she's going away. All you are seeing on Current is her radio show on TV. I strongly suspect that she'll also go back to Ustreaming it, like she did before she went on Current. You can also subscribe to her podcasts. They're cheap.

[Cleita]

43. I hope so. We do get her on radio, but the signal is so bad at that time of the morning

that she's almost impossible to listen to, which is why I watched on Current TV.

[wildflower]

59. Even if you don't have a mobile device, you can stream them free on your computer

Just go to tunein.com and you can find the progressive stations streaming them via a search.

[UnrepentantLiberal]

19. That's great.

I enjoy al Jazeera. It will be nice to watch real world news on TV. Their programs are really good as well.

[AnnieK401]

21. I can hear RW heads exploding now.

[Bandit]

23. This really makes me sad. I was hoping a Liberal Network would make it..

I guess Liberals just don't like political programming like Republicans do...I had high hopes for this network and I watch it as often or more so than MSNBC..

[AndyTiedye]

31. We Can't Watch it If It's Not On the Cable

[cheapdate]

25. It's about time.

Al Jazeera has some excellent reporting and I've looked forward to seeing them get wider coverage in the U.S. for a while.

[ReRe]

26. Glad to hear this for Al Jazeera, but sad....

to loose Jennifer, Elliot, Joy and Cenk. Maybe MSNBC could replace some of those cooky morning shows (Chuck Todd, mainly, free him up to go on over to FOX, since that's where he belongs) and early-mid afternoon shows? If MSNBC could add Jennifer, Elliot, Cenk and Joy to their present line-up, no one could beat them in ratings.

[SunSeeker]

28. Exactly. They can make room by getting rid of those prison shows. nt

[Liberalynn]

35. I wish MSNBC would pick up the Current Hosts too

[Tarheel_Dem]

62. They went there with Cenk, and there's a reason he wasn't a fit.

[ReRe]

65. At first, I didn't understand....

...what you was saying, but now I do...Yeah, Cenk was on MSNBC for a while in the 6PM slot (I think). And I watched him too. But I think he quit because they tried to tamp him down...too much truth, I guess. Yeah, if MSNBC wants him back, they'll have to up his pay and not give him rules on what he can say... in an iron-clad contract. If Cenk goes back to his on-line show, I will follow him there.

[davidpdx]

30. I do believe this has to go through regulatory review

Especially if the Qatar Government has ownership it would fall under CIFUS.

[mwooldri]

44. what regulatory approval did cbc need for newsworld intl?

Current TV came about because of the sale of Newsworld International to Al Gore. The Canadian Broadcasting Corp (CBC) launched and ran the channel, even when part of the operation got sold to USA Network. I think worst case would be a company set up where Al Gore etc... owns 51% and Qatar owns 49%. But all programming would be run by Al-Jazeera.

[davidpdx]

51. I suppose might depend on how ownership is set up and distributed

But from the article it sounds like Current TV would be under the umbrella of the Al-Jazeera network itself. President Ford signed an executive order in 76' requiring all foreign companies that have ownership or control over a US company to go through a 30 or 45 day review which is done by 7 members (SoD, SoS, SoT, etc). Remember about 7 years ago when Dubai Ports World tried to buy out the British company P & O and there was quite an uproar about it because P & O operated ports in the US? Dubai Ports World had to go through the same review (though its worth noting they did it voluntarily). Unless there is something unusual it should get approved.

[90-percent]

32. The great KO

If he had his show in 2012, he would have single-handedly increased Obama's margin of victory by at least four points!

Keith was my only link to sanity during the dark ages of GW Bush.

In addition to DU, my other only link.

I really hope he gets another show. ON HIS TERMS. With a boss he shares synergy and values with.

-90% Jimmy

[Liberalynn]

34. Time Warner has already announced it is dropping Current

http://www.deadline.com/2013/01/al-jazeera-to-acquire-current-tv-ny-times/

[mwooldri]

40. On the other hand, twc picks up BBC World News.

I would have been ok with a cnn/bbc/aje mix for world news if i was a twc subscriber. Current TV came about when CBC divested itself of Newsworld - so if Al-Jazeera bought Current TV just for the broadcast slot then it would be full circle for Current TV. Fact that A-J is going to do an American channel would make things interesting. I don't think A-J America will be anything like CNN USA, MSNBC, or Fox "News" Channel. Considering Al-Jazeera came up from the ashes of the first BBC Arabic channel, I expect the feel of the new channel will be more at home with those familiar with the BBC or even CNN International. It would also be nice if AJ USA were to stream live, something the domestic channels don't do now officially (CNN International does stream online as does AJE and BBC World News).

[mountain grammy]

45. Finally switched to Direct and getting Current

enjoying Steph in the am and Cenk later. This is depressing. Al Jazeera English is excellent. I've watched it on Link, but dissolving Current's line up will be a loss for us all.

[cal04]

52. Current TV Announces It Has Been Sold To Al Jazeera

Current TV announced Wednesday evening it has been sold to Al Jazeera, confirming news reported earlier by The New York Times.

In an internal memo, Current TV CEO Joel Hyatt said he and former Vice President Al Gore are "thrilled and proud" to announce the news. Hyatt added: "When considering the several suitors who were interested in acquiring Current, it became clear to us that Al Jazeera was founded with the same goals we had for Current: To give voice to those whose voices are not typically heard; to speak truth to power; to provide independent and diverse points of view; and to tell the important stories that no one else is telling. Al Jazeera, like Current, believes that facts and truth lead to a better understanding of the world around us."

http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/current-tv-announces-it-has-been-sold-to

[heather blossom]

53. Time Warner Cable

Has already taken current TV off the air

[Starboard Tack]

54. Excellent! AJ is definitely the best news source available right now.

We get it over the air in Southern California, along with RT, French, German, Japanese and Israeli English language news, every day on KCET. So refreshing to get some perspective on world events.

[garybeck]

57. Unfortunately 90% of the people in this country would laugh at your statement and probably accuse

you of associating with radical muslims. you might like this move because you get AJ. but the reality is, most people will discount anything on AJ because it's "that radical muslim propaganda network."

[garybeck]

55. goodbye Current TV

Regardless of how this affects the programming, and whether or not you personally like Al Jazeera or think they do good reporting, this will kill the credibility of Current TV and anyone on it in the general public.

the sad truth is that most people, even most liberals and democrats, are not aware that Al Jazeera is sometimes credible. The vast majority of people in this country think Al Jazeera is nothing but a propaganda network for radical muslims. To be associated with Al Jazeera in any way (like being owned by it) will do nothing but marginalize everything that happens on Current TV.

[jzodda]

68. I don't understand your post

Al Jazeera is not just buying Current to supplement current's programming.

Current is going to disappear, and all its shows will be gone. So they can't marginalize what happens on Current because Current will not exist.

[NRA_SUCKS]

60. AM I the only person who thinks this was a STUPID idea?

This is the SECOND TIME Al Gore has done this to us!!!!
Once Al Gore stopped his partnership with Air America it went to hell!
Morning Sedition was my only point of sanity for two years. it was great, funny as hell and damned informative.
Al left, and then MS kinda went away. the station went to hell.

I'm starting to dislike our former president, as he seems to have a habbit of quitting when he's in danger of being successful!
Seriously, after "inconvenient truth" became a major HIT.... he disappeared
Air America starts to gain traction, he leaves
Current is starting to become a major force in liberalism, he sells out TO FUCKING AL JAZEERA!!!
It doesn't matter than AJ-USA is a pretty decent place for news... IT'S FUCKING AL JAZEERA!
you know.. the once PROPIGANDA ARM OF THE PLO! or was it al queda?
point being it doesnt have a good reputation!

I just...

thank you for the vent. because this is just so frustrating!

[Tarheel_Dem]

63. There's a lot to disagree with in your post, but when did this happen?

You said:

"Current is starting to become a major force in liberalism"

[LTR]

66. Al Gore never had anything to do with Air America

And Current was pretty close to death when Al Jazeera bought it. They weren't much of a force. Many have actually predicted they would fold this year anyways. Of all the companies to sell to, Al Jazeera made the most sense.

[JCMach1]

64. From a decade of watching AJE

It is the most left wing of all broadcast news outlets and it makes me sorry to say it but a lot better than Current.

[jzodda]

67. THIS IS TERRIBLE NEWS

I don't understand how ANY of you can approve of this.

All the programs that were so good are going to be gone. I watched Current TV extensively in the lead up to the November election and it was good stuff. Now, all gone!

[INdemo]

71. Money talks and Al Gore

laughs all the way to the bank saying "the hell with a liberal network I'll take my money and run"

[eilen]

69. Since Time Warner dropped them, I hope Verizon picks them up.

Then I can drop Time Warner. However, there is a Current Channel and an Al Jazeera channel on Roku.

[Khaotic]

72. Sadly This Will Fail on an Epic Scale

When people hear or read about Al-Jazeera they think of Baghdad Bob or Chemical Ali and how Al-Jazeera continued to air Bob's crazy rants even after it became clearer and clearer it was propaganda ... not just slight or skewed, but down right fiction.

That's Al-Jazeera's legacy in this country and that's how people think of them ... at least those who know what Al-Jazeera is in the first place.

I don't watch Faux News, but I can only imagine that they're re-enforcing those perceptions by showing file footage of Baghdad Bob and Chemical Ali with the Al-Jazeera logo at the bottom of the screen.

It would take an epic marketing campaign in this country to change people's perception on this, and while Al-Jazeera has $500 million to acquire Current TV, it doesn't have enough $$$ to mount such a campaign.

If Al-Jazeera remade themselves like RT TV did, RT standing for Russia Today, then Americans might digest it with a lot less bias, but there's been no such effort. RT is available all over the 'Net and is also available on Dish Network here in the U.S.

Since they're doing an immediate switch to Al-Jazeera America look for almost every outlet that carried Current TV to drop them. Those that don't do so right away will receive a huge outcry from every swath of this country. It won't just come from the right, it will come from everywhere.

Dish Network might hold out for a little while, but don't look for them to hold out long. They carry The Blaze (the rightwing version of Current TV) and because they know rabid rightwingers will pay more to see it, it's only available on the top tier. Look for Dish to drop Al-Jazeera America and for them to put The Blaze on the next lower tier making it available to an even larger audience.

What will all this mean to us?

Current TV is effectively dead now, which sucks. Al-Jazeera America will fail ... just the way it is.

I recommend watching MSNBC, Link TV, Free Speech TV, and RT TV for your progressive news fix. Other than that listen to what you can over the 'Net.

If you have a smartphone download TuneIn radio or iHeart Radio and you'll have a good array of progressive programs to choose from.

TuneIn radio includes podcasts, so you can also access programs such as Best of the Left that uses content from all over the progressive spectrum.